Model of a Temple Gateway
Description
Object Label: Although this model was found at Tell el Yahudiya in the Nile Delta, the inscriptions along its base suggest that King Seti I donated it to a now-lost temple at Heliopolis, the center of the solar cult, just outside modern Cairo. Why it was deposited at Tell el Yahudiya is a mystery. As seen in the photograph here, the model was once replete with a pylon (or gateway), flagpoles, statues of Seti I in the guise of Osiris (ruler of the underworld), and four sphinxes flanking the entrance staircase. The reliefs around the base show the king nearly prostrate, making offerings to three forms of the sun: Khepri (the sun rising in the morning), Re-Horakhty (the sun at its zenith at noon), and Atum (the sun setting in the evening). The purpose of the model is unclear. Although it is generally regarded as a foundation deposit or offering given by the king at the groundbreaking for the temple it represents, it may have served a magical purpose. A reconstruction of this model can be seen in the installation Temples, Tombs, and the Egyptian Universe. Caption: Model of a Temple Gateway, ca. 1290–1279 B.C.E.. Quartzite, 9 1/2 x 44 x 34 in., 1025 lb. (24.1 x 111.8 x 86.4 cm, 464.9kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 49.183. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano
Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.
Stone rectilinear model resembling a temple gateway or façade, with raised architectural blockwork and carved border bands.
The image shows a large, squat rectangular stone block photographed in a museum gallery. The top surface is carved to resemble the upper elements of a gateway/temple entrance (stepped or ramp-like details and raised rectangular masses). Along the front and sides are multiple carved horizontal bands suggesting architectural mouldings, with additional incised vertical/diagonal elements that read like decorative paneling. The front face includes densely carved incised decoration arranged in registers; however, the specific hieroglyphic shapes are not clear enough to reliably identify individual signs or to transcribe any text. No clear cartouches or royal names can be confirmed from the resolution. No legible Greek/Coptic/Arabic text is visible. The stone appears light brown/tan with worn edges, consistent with a hard stone object; the catalogue material “quartzite” is plausible visually but cannot be independently verified from the image alone. Overall condition appears good with surface wear and minor losses to raised details.
Cross-references (2)
- BKM-Accession 49.183 tier-2
- BKM-Object 3543 tier-2
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Brooklyn Museum — Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art.
- AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
- Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
- Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.